§ Mr. T. M. HEALYasked the Secretary to the Treasury whether the Board of Works have taken down 12 statues of heroic size by the late Sir Thomas Farrell, 385W P.H.A., which ornamented the façcades of the Dublin National Library and Museum; when were these statues erected and at what cost; was this an important element in the architectural scheme of these buildings, and are they to be replaced; were several of the statues damaged in course of removal; what expert advice was taken on the allegation that the statues were in danger of falling; is it the fact that only one statue had suffered dilapidation and, if so, why, instead of restoring the injured statue, were they entirely taken away, unless it is intended to replace them by work equally graceful and ornamental?
§ Mr. HOBHOUSEI am informed that the position of affairs is as follows: The statues were erected in 1889. Pieces of them began to fall down about five years ago, and inspections were made from time to time by the architectural staff of the Board of Works to ascertain the condition of the stone, which was found to be bad in all three statues of each of the four groups. The parapet and other parts of the building were damaged by the falling pieces of stone; and finally it was decided in July last, after a further inspection, which showed that the stone could not be preserved or repaired, to take the statues down, as they constituted a grave danger to the public. All the figures showed signs of considerable disintegration, some very much more than others, and though the operation was carried out with all possible care, the condition of nine of the 12 figures made further damage unavoidable. The original cost of these statues was about £800, and at least an equal sum would be required to erect groups now. The question whether or not similar groups should now be erected is under consideration.